Capturing Portraits of Strangers Saved This Photographer’s Life

May 14, 2025

Jeremy Gray

A collage of three portraits: an older man with long gray hair in a field, a woman with red hair holding a wine glass, and a smiling woman with long braids wearing colorful earrings and an orange top.

Adam Schluter is a self-described introvert who felt a deep longing to sidestep technology and get back to forging genuine, face-to-face connections with people. So, he picked up his camera and began walking up to people, striking up conversation, and taking their portraits. Schluter’s project, Hello From a Stranger, was born. He has captured over a thousand portraits in more than 20 countries around the world, and his life has been forever changed.

How ‘Hello From a Stranger’ Began

Years back, Schluter moved to a new town with his then partner. After going through a heartbreak, Schluter found himself in a new place with no friends.

“I had no clue how to make new friends and ask for help when I needed it most,” he tells PetaPixel. “And I knew I wasn’t going to survive by just sitting there all alone.”

“So finally, with money I saved up waiting tables at a restaurant, I booked the cheapest flight I could to get the farthest away,” he continues. Schluter says he saved up just enough to buy his first camera and flight.

A man stands on a city sidewalk tossing food as a large flock of pigeons flies up and scatters around him. Urban buildings, cars, and street signs appear in the background.

He came up with a plan — just walk up to strangers, say “hello,” and try to have a genuine, sincere conversation with them.

Schluter says he wanted to “inspire the world to put their phones down and talk to one another again and to raise awareness about the loneliness epidemic in America.

“I was terrified,” he recalls, “but I quickly found that because I was nervous, it created a vulnerability that allowed the whole world to open up to me when I needed it most.”

It wasn’t just Schluter who needed it — many of his newfound friends are not only excellent portrait subjects, but they are people with their own struggles who need someone to talk to. It turns out that a camera and a bit of heartfelt conversation can go a very long way.

A man with a full beard and short hair smiles gently, standing against a plain teal background. The lighting is soft, highlighting his face and expression.

Schluter has been sharing the photos from Hello From a Stranger online for years on his website, and the project will even be transformed into an upcoming television series.

How an Introvert Became a World-Traveling Photographer

Packing up your life and hitting the road to take photos of strangers is a big swing for even the most extroverted people. For someone like Adam, it was terrifying. But he just did it.

“Honestly, I had no fall back plan, which was essential in getting me to break through my fears to just try. I felt completely alone and was in a country where I didn’t know a single person, with my mental health at rock bottom,” he tells PetaPixel.

“If I didn’t put myself out there to try and feel less alone, I honestly didn’t think I was going to get through it. So I just walked outside, looked around and noticed a guy standing against a wall, smoking a cigarette with a scarf. I thought it was an incredible photograph so I swallowed my fears and slowly walked up to him, said hello and asked for his photograph.”

The man said no.

“I started with rejection,” Schluter says.

An older man wearing a cap sits at a cozy wooden table by a window, reading a newspaper. Plants, books, and a coffee mug are on the table. The scene is warmly lit and filled with bookshelves and artwork in the background.

However, he learned a valuable lesson. He was uncomfortable, but he pushed through, he could push through.

The more strangers he approached, the more comfortable it became. Rejections went from a very common occurrence to a rare one.

“The world really has been the most instrumental tool in helping shape the person I am today,” the photographer says. “I have been taught so much through the wisdom of strangers, over such a large sample size. And I would honestly say one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned, time and time again, is how similar we all really are. No matter how different we may look or sound from one another. No matter rich or poor. In a small village or in a big city.”

A man in a white tank top and blue jeans stands confidently at the top of a narrow stairway, smoking a cigarette, with green walls surrounding the staircase.

“Especially now, the world is in such a very vulnerable state with the disconnected nature of things so there are so many people with the same needs — almost all of them being linked to the quality of relationships in their lives. Just by being humans together, we have so many shared values, shared needs and shared experiences that it would be foolish to not try our best and learn from each other.”

He has also learned that the world often reflects what you put out there.

“Treating people with respect is a universal language that transcends any other language barriers. I have been shown the deepest levels of joy in the deepest parts of poverty. I have learned more about what it means to be grateful from the people with the least.”

Photography As a Means of Connection

“Photography is a really beautiful medium because it really just shows others the way you see the world,” Schluter says.

“And it’s really beautiful with portraits because you’re showing strangers the exact way that you see them — a way they usually have not been able to see in themselves for quite a long time.”

A man with medium-length dreadlocks, wearing a gray long-sleeve shirt, gold chain, and black pants, stands against a background split between reddish-brown and orange walls.

He says that often, the way he sees people and the pictures he captures of them are more beautiful than how most people see themselves in a mirror. It’s a powerful gift to give someone.

But even more important than showing people they are beautiful in their unique way is simply seeing them. While it’s terrific for people to feel good about themselves, it is vital that they feel seen.

90 Dinners With Strangers

While much of Hello From a Stranger involves travel, Schluter continues to build stronger bonds in his small town. After returning from his first trip, he realized that he still hadn’t solved the original problem — he didn’t have any friends where he lived.

During his trip to Europe, he learned that a big part of getting to know someone was sharing a meal, so he went around his small town, meeting new people, chatting, and inviting them to dinner.

An older man in a plaid shirt sits at a dimly lit bar, smiling gently with his hand resting on his neck. A can of beer and an ashtray are on the counter in front of him. Colorful lights decorate the background.

“It was absolutely terrifying and incredibly awkward,” he says. “I honestly didn’t think a single person would show up.”

To his surprise, 11 people showed up to this first dinner to share some burnt mac and cheese around a folding table.

“Everyone who came shared that they were feeling the same way [as me], not knowing how to make meaningful relationships without technology and actually getting face-to-face with people,” he says. He promised to continue these dinners, even if only one person showed up.

“Next month, we’ll be having our 90th dinner, still in my backyard, and have had thousands of people come to them over the last 6 years. I called them ‘Monday Night Dinners’ as an homage to a dinner my mom had done with our family growing up,” Schluter says.

A large group of people gathers around a long table in a backyard, smiling and waving up at the camera. The scene is lively, with trees surrounding the area and everyone appearing cheerful and celebratory. — One of the nearly 100 Monday Night Dinners Schluter has hosted.

For those who don’t live near someone like Adam Schluter, he says the methods he used can work anywhere for anyone.

“It starts by introducing yourself to people. Say hello to your neighbors. It’s simpler than it might seem but it will take you putting yourself out there first,” he says.

“I think photographers should be more interactive and communicative with each other. Introduce yourself when you go to new cities on forums. Ask if people want to meet up so they can show you their favorite spots. Have a beer or a meal with them afterwards. Share your photographs and ask people to share their photographs with you. Be curious about people’s process and ask questions about their perspective,” Schluter continues.

An elderly man dressed in loose, white clothing and a headband stands smiling in a narrow, urban alleyway lined with weathered walls and assorted objects.

The world is “full of so many good people,” he says. The trick, which is really no trick at all, is putting yourself out there.

Old-School Camera Kit for Forging New Bonds

Schluter describes himself as an “old grandpa” with technology. “I’m very slow at adapting or changing,” he says, admitting he still barely knows how to use his iPhone.

“I started this project on an older Nikon D750 with the cheapest lens I could get — I was broke — a 50mm f/1.8 lens I got for a couple hundred bucks,” the photographer says.

A woman with long, braided hair and colorful round earrings smiles at the camera while standing outdoors on a sunny day, wearing an off-shoulder orange top. The background is softly blurred with trees and a road.

He used this for the first couple of years of Hello From a Stranger before upgrading to a mirrorless camera, the Nikon Z6, which he still uses. He has shot every image since on the same lens, a Sigma Art f/1.4 prime.

Schluter says that the move to mirrorless helped his workflow quite a bit, as he had to pay less attention to focus. The eye-detect on a camera like the Z6 works great.

While Schluter does not necessarily think any specific part of his kit, camera, or lens is essential in and of itself, he says that his familiarity and experience with his particular gear is hugely beneficial.

A young man with long, curly dark hair and a beard stands in front of a gray textured wall, wearing a black shirt with an orange plaid collar and a beaded necklace, looking directly at the camera with a slight smile.

“I know the camera and lens so well that I already know what the photograph will be when I see a moment,” Schluter says. “So that saves me a lot of unnecessary work and time.”

He also admits he has gotten very good at working fast, so he can quickly capture an image without losing the precious moment or becoming distracted.

A man with long blonde braids, wearing a red cap, white t-shirt, green Supreme shorts, and sneakers, poses in front of a white Audi sedan parked on a driveway, with a suitcase and trees in the background.

Moments That Stand Out

Schluter has talked to thousands of people over the years and could “spend a few months talking about the incredible moments” he has experienced during the project.

“There have been so many special moments and stories throughout the world I was lucky enough to stumble upon,” he says.

“But this whole project really took a huge shift when I had a moment with a stranger in Milan. A young refugee who originally told me that no, I couldn’t take his photograph, but then ended up opening up and changing his mind in a vulnerable moment.

“When I showed him the photograph I took of him, he took the camera from me, held it close to his face and looked at me with tears in his eyes and said ‘No one has ever asked to take my photograph before.’ The power of feeling truly seen.”

A young man in a green jacket and blue jeans sits on a concrete bench outdoors, smiling at the camera. He holds a phone and wears white sneakers, with trees and parked cars in the background.

Schluter describes another memorable experience meeting an older man along the Canadian border in northern Idaho.

“He told me he was a stand-up comedian, and I asked him how he got into that. He said he was in Vietnam and, when he returned from the war, he had PTSD and was trying to find something to bring some light into his life. I asked him, ‘Rick, if you don’t mind my asking, what was it like the first night you got to Vietnam?’

“He said ‘Adam, I remember it like it was yesterday. I was in a trench. I had two soldiers behind me, trying to sleep whenever they could find a minute. Claymores in front. Barbed wire in back. It was terrifying. It was pure hell. That first night, I drifted off out of pure exhaustion, into a quick dream. And, in the dream, I was looking down a winding dirt road, with a beautiful country home at the end of it. Huge pine trees out in the world. Total paradise. It was so beautiful… For that one moment. I woke up and I was still in hell.'”

An older man with long blond hair and a mustache stands among tall grasses in a sunlit, green forest clearing, looking at the camera.

After Rick stood silent for a moment, he asked if Adam could come with him for a few minutes. Adam agreed and hopped in Rick’s truck.

They drove down a dirt road for a spell and, after rounding a gentle turn, Rick asked Adam to look ahead.  

“There, right in front of me, was a winding dirt road with a beautiful country home at the end of it. Where he and his wife had lived for the last 30 years.”

Rick said, “This is exactly what I dreamed of that night.”

Everyone Has a Story to Tell

While people like the refugee in Milan and Rick in Idaho came to Adam’s mind when asked about standout memories, everyone has left a unique impression on the photographer.

When specifically trying to capture a compelling portrait of a stranger — or new friend, in some cases — Adam says he always looks for something unique, “anything that makes them stand out, [even if] just a little.”

A man in casual clothes with ripped jeans and a T-shirt sits alone on blue chairs in an airport or waiting area, holding a phone. A drink cup is on the floor beside him, and art hangs on the white wall behind.

“Big earrings, a tattoo, a three-piece suit, unique glasses, purple hair — anything that shows a little more personality than the average person,” Schluter recommends.

He also carefully considers lighting.

A woman in traditional clothing sits at a table displaying colorful Huichol art. The walls behind her are covered with vibrant beadwork, masks, and embroidered pieces, creating a lively, artistic atmosphere.

“I am cursed by seeing the world in photographs and am an all natural light photographer. So the lighting always creates the photograph, and the photograph usually finds the story,” he says.

Schluter also notes that it’s fascinating how often people sit in places that “perfectly match what they’re wearing,” almost always without realizing it.

A young woman in glasses and a puffy jacket stands against a purple-lit wall, holding a brown bag with both hands and looking directly at the camera. Metal bars run horizontally along the wall behind her.

While he is a photographer at heart and carefully considers the potential image when deciding who to approach, as he and Hello From a Stranger have evolved, Schluter says he spends less time photographing and more time just speaking to people.

“By doing this so many times, the whole project became less about taking a photograph — since I didn’t have to hide behind my camera anymore — and more about genuinely connecting with people. Having real conversations, and actually getting to know them.”

“So now it’s rarely about the photograph anymore,” Schluter continues — it’s more about just saying hi.

A woman with wavy red hair and sunglasses sits at a red picnic table outdoors, holding up a glass of water and smiling. Yellow leaves are scattered on the grass, and there is greenery in the background.

Photography Saved Schluter’s Life

While Hello From a Stranger is a huge success and Schluter’s personal and professional life has gotten so much better since he scrounged together his last dollar to escape what had become an unsustainable situation for him, it is essential to remember where and how it started.

“The project not only saved my life and helped me share the impact with the world, but it also allowed me to develop so much more as a person,” the photographer says.”In ways I would have never been able to without the ups and downs I’ve gone through with this. To break through so many of my own personal fears and do a lot of trial and testing with them, in real world situations all over the world. It’s completely changed me from being terrified to talk to strangers to now having a deeper intuition and confidence in the process. Allowing me to just be myself and not worry about the outcome. It’s taught me how to ask for help when I need it, how to inspire others with a passion and vision and how to hold space for others when they need it.”

A priest in black clerical attire stands and smiles in front of an altar in a church, with empty wooden chairs arranged in rows and colorful stained glass windows visible on the left.

But most importantly, Schluter says Hello From a Stranger has given him a deep sense of purpose.

“I could never question if life is worth living anymore,” he says.

However, he quickly says he struggles to believe he has done “anything special” with his project.

“I honestly feel I’m just being human with others, as anyone can do,” Schluter says.

An elderly man wearing glasses and overalls sits alone at a diner table, holding a blue mug. Behind him, a window displays a "CLOSED" sign and various stickers. Sunlight filters through the blinds.

“So there is quite a bit of self-doubt and imposter syndrome, to be honest. It’s hard to believe that I could have an impact when I started in such a low place and still have ups and downs with my mental health. But the encouragement and impact have given me so much purpose and community that I just keep going and giving it all back. The moments I am actually able to be proud are at the ‘Monday Night Dinners’, when I invite strangers to have dinner in my backyard. Stepping back and seeing hundreds of people coming together and genuinely getting to know each other is really special. And humbling.

“To be honest, I’m incredibly grateful for all this project has given me but most importantly, it’s created so many relationships that are my true definition of success,” Schluter concludes.

A woman in a black dress stands in a doorway, looking at the camera. Behind her is a wooden table with a vase of flowers, a chair, and a mirror hanging on a light green wall.

More From Adam Schluter and ‘Hello From a Stranger’

Adam Schluter’s Hello From a Stranger project has changed lives, including his own. The project is becoming a six-part series focused on Schluter’s spontaneous travels and the connections he has built worldwide.

Each episode will be 100% unscripted, and each person whose story is highlighted will be someone whom Schluter had met just moments before.

He hopes the show will highlight each person’s beauty and help others feel more comfortable being vulnerable and making new connections with strangers.

“I’m hoping to show an honest display of the quality of humanity in this world and share the truth about how people really treat you when you put yourself out there,” Schluter says.

Image credits: All images by Adam Schluter, ‘Hello From a Stranger‘